Monday, December 26, 2011

"You Have to Practice Happiness."

Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky says that the components of happiness are estimated to be 50% genetic, 10% life circumstances, and 40% of happiness comes through your thoughts and actions: the latter is where one can practice to improve their life.

13 Comments:

Thanks so much for posting that. She's fantastic, and I hope people get a lot out of the show. She's probably the least gooey person on happiness -- Russian-born...generally the grimmest people of the human race! (I like that, work-wise, she plays against type.)

I agree with the statement. In my own case, taking the proper actions has had a lot more to do with achieving happiness than changing my thoughts. I knew quite early in my work life (it would be inaccurate to call it a career) that working as a financial analyst or pricing manager for a large organization was making me unhappy. Knowing that didn't make me happy. Becoming a free-lance software developer has.

I defnitely agree with the sentiment if not the exact theory. I'd say it's more like 80/20 .. 80 percent is your thoughts and attitudes, and 20 percent is circumstances. I also agree with Gordinaus that it's often devilishly hard for a person to change those attitudes. I'm generally optimistic and can usually get myself readjusted pretty well though I know people with a more pesmisstic outlook that have a harder time.

i read somewhere recently that it is about giving up being unhappy and refusing to have unhappiness and unhappy people around.

and i don't know what percentage of t is genetic or not, but i've been called selfish most of my life for being happy and choosing to do things that make me happy....generally by people determined to be unhappy about things.

and yes, it definitely takes practice.

and robert j. ringer said that jesus was crucified by unhappy jealous people...i think the miracles had something to do with it as well, but i see his point.